TV

NBC has suspended Jeremy Roenick indefinitely without pay ... after the pro-turned-analyst went on a podcast and made sexual comments about his coworkers.

The 20-year vet -- who played for a number of NHL teams including the Blackhawks, Coyotes and Flyers -- appeared on the Barstool Sports "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast when he started talking about his colleagues Kathryn Tappen and Patrick Sharp.

At one point, Roenick discussed going on vacation with his wife and Tappen ... and revealed he joked with a hotel guest about their "situation," saying, “I play it off like we’re going to bed together every night, the three of us.”

Roenick explains that it would NEVER happen ... but added, "If it really came to fruition, that would really be good."

Later in the interview, Roenick praised the host as a coworker, saying she's "one of the most professional sports personalities I know."

As for Sharp, Roenick also gushed about his appearance ... saying he's "so beautiful" and "I'd have to think about it if he asked me ... I wouldn't say no right away."

NBC Sports released a statement on Monday, saying “Jeremy Roenick has been suspended indefinitely without pay for making inappropriate comments about his co-workers."

"We will have no further comment at this time.”

Roenick has been working for NBC Sports since 2010 ... but it's unclear when he'll make it back to the TV screens.

Pete Davidson took many people aback on 'SNL' by seemingly announcing he was going to rehab for the holidays -- and if he's serious ... Alonzo Bodden has some advice.

We ran into the comic Sunday at LAX and asked him to weigh in on what appeared to be Pete implying he'd be checking into a rehab facility soon -- something he danced around on 'Weekend Update' without saying "rehab." It couldn't have been clearer though.

Alonzo -- who's a recovering alcoholic -- tells us he doesn't know Pete, but acknowledges there's usually more going on behind a person's public persona.

That said, he explains how rehab is different for everybody -- as no one goes in for just one thing. So long as whoever checks in gets the specific treatment they need for whatever their issue is, that's all that matters. If Pete falls into that category, AB wishes him the best.

As for whether going public with the potential rehab stint is a good idea, Alonzo's got some thoughts there as well. He says it's a double-edged sword, which can pay off big time.

Pete Buttigieg was able to get at least one new Hollywood A-lister to endorse his bid for the presidency -- but his opponent, Bernie Sanders, has him beat in that department.

Kevin Costner showed up to a modest-sized town hall Sunday in Indianola, Iowa and publicly backed the Southbend mayor for Prez ... reportedly telling the crowd of about 1,200 that he didn't wanna tell them who to vote for, but was simply sharing who he supported.

Of course, that's PB. Kevin went on to tout Pete's steady hand among the Democratic contenders, calling him a man of "this moment" and someone who could right the ship.

Kevin then introduced Pete and embraced him in a hug. Pretty cool moment ... but it kinda pales in comparison to the VIP treatment Bernie was met with in L.A. the day before.

Eddie Murphy hasn't been on 'SNL' for 35 years, but his return Saturday night was worth waiting for ... and hilarious!

A bunch of celebs flocked to the show and the after-party ... and the after-party went on for a long time ... which included Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Larry David, John McEnroe, Usher, Questlove, Luenell and Donald Glover.

During the show, Eddie reprised some of his best roles ... Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood, Buckwheat and the house fav ... Gumby! Colin Jost totally lost it during the bit.

As for Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood ... well, it featured a much older Mr. Robinson who's now a property squatter.

There was also an insanely funny sketch about 'Masked Singer' ... you just gotta watch it.

Lizzo performed during the SNL. One of the songs -- "Good as Hell" -- featured Lizzo in a tuxedo-like outfit. The entire back half of the outfit is transparent while twerking ... fun callback to the whole Laker's controversy where she twerked on the hardwood and her butt was exposed.

Mark Consuelos is just like all those parents out there getting a little too involved in their kids' sporting events ... because he caused a scene at his son's wrestling match.

Check out this video of the "Riverdale" star getting heated at a wrestling tournament on Long Island ... you see Mark coming out of the crowd and onto the mat, seemingly incensed with his son's opponent.

Mark makes his move after his 16-year-old son, Joaquin, gets his headgear ripped off by his foe. You hear other concerned parents yelling for Consuelos to get off the mat, and another adult has to push him back towards the stands.

Folks who were there tell us  Mark's wife, Kelly Ripa, was also there and kept her cool while her husband rushed to their son's defense.

While the parents were getting riled up, the kids showed some serious sportsmanship ... shaking hands and resuming their match.

We're told Joaquin's opponent won the match and Mark was vocally and visibly upset, leaving the gym for a few hours to cool off before eventually returning to the all-day tournament.

Pat Sajak's fortunate to be alive after suffering a blocked intestine, but says for a brief drug-induced moment ... his life flashed before his eyes and he thought he was for sure dying.

The "Wheel of Fortune" host turned up on 'GMA' and spoke for the first time about last month's health scare, which he says was intense ... and could have killed him if he didn't go under the knife STAT.

Sajak says one moment he was out for his daily morning walk with his daughter and the next ... he's curled up in the fetal position with "excruciating" pain in his stomach. Within 2 and a half hours, he was having emergency surgery.

The craziest part -- Pat says none of the pain meds he was given were working until all of a sudden one worked REALLY well ... and instead of thinking about pain, he was thinking about his death.

He says it wasn't a morbid thing really, he just felt bad for his wife and daughter and thought about how much their lives would change after he was gone ... but turns out, he was just really high.

Pat clearly didn't lose his sense of humor in surgery.

As we reported ... longtime 'Wheel' hostess, Vanna White, took over Sajak's hosting duties while he was recovering, and he commended her on 'GMA' for being a team player and having fun with it, and doing a great job.

The family of "The Walking Dead" stuntman John Bernecker scored millions in a wrongful death lawsuit but it was significantly short of what they wanted.

A jury on Thursday awarded the estate $8.6 million after 2 days of deliberations ... this according to a report. AMC Networks was found NOT to be negligent, but the show and its production company, Stalwart Films, were found liable. Stalwart was found 40% responsible and the show is 25% responsible.

The jury ruled the victim -- Bernecker -- was 6% liable for his own negligence. There were others found liable as well, but it appears none will have to pay out of pocket. Insurance will cover the judgment.

Sofia Vergara is poised to fill one of the 2 seats that are open on "America's Got Talent" ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Sofia met with 'AGT' honchos Wednesday for 2 hours. She was 20 minutes late for the meeting, but that didn't dissuade the decision-makers.

Our sources say Sofia had a big audience over at NBC, from Entertainment Prez Paul Telegdy on down. There were also members of Fremantle present, which produces 'AGT.'

As you know ... Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough were not invited back for the next installment of 'AGT.'

Our sources say although 'AGT' was top of mind, the honchos wanted to meet with Sofia on a variety of possible projects, including dramas and a possible Spanish language project -- NBC owns Telemundo.

"Modern Family" is in its last season, and we're told NBC wants to get into business with Sofia ... our sources say she's a "global star" who is an extremely versatile entertainer.

As we reported, Union has gone public, claiming 'AGT' has a toxic culture and she was fired after complaining. 'AGT' folks say they routinely rotate judges so nothing was out of the ordinary.

The next 'AGT' airs next month.

'Survivor' will never be the same now that season 39 is over -- at least that's what Kellee Kim hopes her legacy will be in the wake of the Dan Spilo controversy.

It already made one huge change -- for the first time, the show's finale reunion Thursday night was NOT live, and the pre-taped program featured Jeff Probst going one-on-one with Kellee ... who aired her grievances with Jeff, producers and CBS.

She told the host the most difficult part of the season for her was the fact Spilo remained on the show for several weeks AFTER she spoke out about his unwanted touching. She said she felt producers either didn't believe her, or worst ... just ignored her.

As you know, Spilo was eventually removed after a crew member also complained about him. Spilo wasn't included in the finale taping.

Kellee said she didn't want season 39 to be defined by Spilo's actions, but instead she hoped her legacy would be that her speaking led to producers making lasting changes. The show's already announced there will be new guidelines for personal space, and it will have more professionals on-site to allow for confidential reporting of any problems.

Completely overshadowed was the fact 'Survivor' did crown a new champion Wednesday night. Spoiler alert ...

Blake Shelton made an amazing wish come true for a 7-year-old fan who suffers from cerebral palsy ... hanging with the kid on "The Voice" and the pics are AWESOME!!!

Blake met Colton Harkness on set at "The Voice" semifinals earlier this month ... and after the show's live taping the kid got to chat with his favorite country star in the judge's chairs, and rub elbows with Gwen Stefani and John Legend!

The good folks at Kids Wish Network -- a charity that grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses -- helped facilitate the meeting between Blake and Colton, flying the youngster from Indiana to California and chauffeuring him to set in a stretch limo.

Colton also got hooked up with some 'Voice' swag, and while he was out in Cali he got to take his first trip to Disneyland.

The kid needs a wheelchair to get around, but he's not letting that stop him from dreaming of growing up to be a police officer ... and the Orange County Sheriff's Department even named him an honorary deputy in front of his classmates before he left for L.A. to meet Blake!

'Survivor' exile Dan Spilo is an amazing man with a good heart ... according to Noura Salman, one of the final 5 remaining tribe members on this controversial season.

Noura was outside the 'Island of the Idols' Season 39 finale party in WeHo Tuesday night when she got asked about Dan's ejection for inappropriate touching. She clearly doesn't feel any ill will toward Spilo -- she loves the guy ... and offers a bit of a defense for him too.

Noura says the issue comes down to people being different about touching -- some openly welcome it and feel comfortable, like her and Dan, while others are the opposite ... like fellow cast member Kellee Kim, and even Noura's own siblings.

She says she doesn't believe Dan meant to be disrespectful to Kellee with his unwanted touching, but suggests he probably didn't do a good job of communicating ... and gives an example from her yoga class of how to do it right.

Another contestant in the final 5, Janet Carbin, also got asked about Dan ... she simply said everything's "cool."

Orlando Jones says he and Gabrielle Union now find themselves in the same boat ... speaking out against workplace injustice, and unfair firings, at the hands of the same production company.

The former "American Gods" star came on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to fill us in on his convo with Gabrielle ... after they initially connected through social media posts about his firing from the Starz drama.

'Gods' and 'AGT' are both produced by Fremantle Media, and Orlando says he and Gabby are in very similar situations -- they spoke up at work, and suddenly they were both shown the door. In his case, he says the trouble started with a dispute over his writing credit on 'Gods' ... as a member of the Writers Guild.

As we reported ... Gabrielle said she had no qualms risking her job in the name of fighting against misogyny and racism. She's urged others in her situation to NOT "be the happy negro that does the bidding of the status quo."

Kate Middleton was NOT in the mood for some PDA from Prince William ... or so it sure seemed.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appeared on a BBC special Monday night dubbed "A Berry Royal Christmas" ... where they hosted a slew of volunteers from various organizations who plan to volunteer for the holidays.

Near the end of the episode, Prince William and Kate sit down with a group of volunteers ... and he tries to gently place his hand on Kate's left shoulder, but she wasn't having it. You see her shrug him off. The move's pretty fast ... so don't blink.

You'll also notice Kate never stopped smiling during the whole thing. Her facial expression remained the same ... big smile. Viewers took notice and quickly took to social media. One person tweeted, "She moved with a quickness." Another wrote, "Awkward! Too Awkward!! They should have cut it out!"

Kate's move was reminiscent of Melania Trump slapping President Trump's hand away back in 2017 after they had just landed in Tel Aviv. You'll recall he reached for her hand but Melania quickly put the Prez in a no hand-holding zone.

Chuy Bravo -- Chelsea Handler's longtime TV sidekick and hypeman -- died from a heart attack after a brief hospitalization ... according to a rep for the late comedian.

The Mexican-American actor -- famous for his frequent appearances on "Chelsea Lately" -- suffered the fatal heart attack Sunday morning in a Mexico City hospital after being rushed to the emergency room Saturday afternoon due to a stomach issue.

We're told Chuy went to the ER with a Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage (GI Bleed) and after complications, he suffered the fatal heart attack.

As we reported ... Chuy's family announced his death Sunday afternoon, and Chelsea wrote a heartfelt tribute to her longtime collaborator.

Chuy's funeral services took place Monday in Mexico, according to his rep, and his body will be cremated. We're told his family is devastated and his remains will be transported back to Los Angeles for a memorial service, but a date has not yet been scheduled.

Bravo was 63.

RIP

Gabrielle Union's speaking out publicly after her controversial firing from "America's Got Talent" ... urging others to risk it all, as she has, to fight misogyny and racism.

The actress spoke on a panel Monday morning, and urged the crowd to NOT "be the happy negro that does the bidding of the status quo." She never called out NBC or 'AGT' by name, but fans there for the panel -- Power of Inclusivity and the Women Leading the Charge -- knew exactly what she was referencing

Gabrielle added, "It's terrifying. There's a solid chance you'll lose your job ... I speak from experience." As we've reported ... Gabrielle feels she was fired because she complained to NBC and 'AGT' producers about racially insensitive situations on set -- including producers giving her excessive notes about her hair, wardrobe and physical appearance.

According to Variety, Gabrielle told the panel it's incumbent on her to speak up and do the right thing ... never mind the company writing those checks. She said, "How many checks do I need? This financial freedom, they're shackles, masquerading as zeros in my bank account."

The Hallmark Channel is walking back its decision to pull TV ads featuring a same-sex couple kissing on their wedding day ... saying it messed up and is "truly sorry."

The channel recently removed the ads from Zola, a major online wedding registry and planning site, after receiving complaints from the conservative group, One Million Moms. The backlash included a petition signed by more than 30,000 people criticizing Hallmark.

However, that decision was met with considerably more backlash from the public -- including another petition signed by 70,000 people blasting Hallmark for "shamefully caving to pressure from an anti-LGBTQ group."

Ellen DeGeneres and Pete Buttigieg also weighed in, with the presidential candidate responding to One Million Moms' gripe that the ads weren't "family friendly."

Hallmark listened, and its CEO, Mike Perry, says it will be reaching out to Zola to reestablish their partnership and "reinstate the commercials."

What's interesting ... Perry essentially lays the blame on Hallmark's parent company, Crown Media Family Networks and its CEO, Bill Abbott, which he says made the call to pull the ads featuring 2 brides kissing at the altar.